JGS Affordable, Creative Programming

July 15, 2010IAJGS International Conference On

Jewish Genealogy

Jan Meisels Allen, FacilitatorIAJGS Board Member

JGSCV President & Program ChairFormer JGSLA Program VP

Programming Makes/Breaks Society

• Programming is the key to attracting and retaining members and being a viable organization

• Programming need not break the bank• Publicity important- if no one knows

about your program it doesn’t do any good!

• Programs developed for those under 21; 20’s-30’s years

How To Find SpeakersSuggested Local Talent

• Talent in your back yard and you didn’t know it!

• Contact local historical societies

• Contact local colleges- Judaica and History Departments… professors do not need to be Jewish

• Different genealogy programs-local

experts

Suggested Local Talent Cont’d

• Who in your society may have a program to do? Who visited their shtetl, collects Judaica artifacts, is/was a librarian etc?

• Local librarian on collections of interest• Local Museum- on costuming, photography,

history of area, special collections, etc.• Local authors talking on research or books• Borrow from library, members etc. films on

Holocaust, History etc… get permission to show from producer

Suggested Local Talent Cont’d“How To” programs put on by senior members of the

JGS as always getting new members who need training on:• census• city directories• immigration & naturalization• Ellis Island and other ports• military records• vital records • researching overseas-foreign records• how to search on the Internet• how to organize files/documents• how to fill out a family tree- using different programs• how to interview

Suggested Local Talent Cont’d

• Other genealogy societies (non-Jewish)

• Regional NARA offices

• Local B’nai Brith/Hadassah Orgs as speakers

• Local Family History Center staff

(each may have own specialty)

If you don’t ask

You’ll never get a “yes”

Meetings on Genealogically Related Areas

• Photographic skills

• Organization of documents

• History of your geographic area

• Museum curator on costuming

• Computer software programs

for example: PhotoShop, mapping

Ways to Reduce Programming Costs-Regional Coordination & Have Exciting Programs

• Joint meeting with other groups. Ask local Synagogues, venues or other groups to co-sponsor meetings

• See if speaker of interest is in region for other reasons or suggest a regional tour

• Post query on IAJGS Leadership/JGDG if someone is traveling to your geographic region

• Speaking tour-look at IAJGS calendar http://www.iajgs.org/calend/jgscalendar.html• Authors on book tours• See if speaker will do a regional

Ways To Reduce Program Costs Cont’d

• Trip to regional library, Family History Center, holocaust center, specialty library, etc.

• Go to regional fairs (book, county) to gather ideas of potential speakers

• For special speakers charge a modest attendance fee for all

• National Archives has new short-you-tube videos to download and encourages showing:

http://www.youtube.com/USNationalArchives

Ways To Reduce Program Costs Cont’d. Webinars

Many opportunities to show a prerecorded/archived webinar at a meeting for

free from:

Ancestry.com (Learning Center tab) http://learn.ancestry.com/LearnMore/Webinars.aspx

Examples of their webinars:Family Tree Maker 2010

Finding Females In Your Family TreeNew York City Research

Getting Started in Ancestry.com

More genealogy webinars

• How to get the most out of Footnote.com http:// blog.footnote.com/theworlds-first-footnote-webinar/

• New England Historical and Genealogical Society—online seminars

http://www.newenglandancestors.org/events/online_seminars.asp

Ways To Reduce Program Costs Cont’d.Podcasts

Genealogy Gems Podcast (Lisa Louise Cooke)Genealogygemspodcast@gmail.com

Some free archived podcasts-download free tool bar—click banner or go to:http://thegenealogygemspodcast.ourtoolbar.com

Tool bar has media player that plays 3 free podcasts: The Genealogy Gems Podcast, Family History: Genealogy Made Easy a free "how to research your family history" and The Family Tree Magazine Podcast.AndFamily Forensic Files Part 2 Episode 90 from website not tool bar

free educational and entertaining videos at Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel at 

http://www/youtube.com/user/GenealogyGems

Sign up for the free newsletter and get a free copy of e-book called 5 Fabulous Google Research Strategies for the Family Historian

Podcasts: A podcast (or non-streamed webcast) is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and often downloaded through web

syndication

Low-cost webinars

Family Tree Magazine offers webinars- some are free,(Intro to on-line genealogy class) most carry a small fee about $40.00

http://www.familytreemagazine.com/

Ways To Reduce Program Costs Cont’d.

GotoMeeting.com Up to 15 connections Free 30 day trial Can record session for future use One month cost $49-unlimited usage Only need a computer (MAC or PC),

microphone Audio bridge (phone connection- extra cost

charged by your phone connection company)

Other Ideas

Grant application to local foundation for special programming

To attract younger members:

Give Computer sessions

Give one-year memberships to Bar/Bat Mitzvot in your area

Partner with Jewish Federation Young Leadership to attract younger members

Publicity Is A Must! Monthly Flyers on Meetings

• Local daily & weekly newspapers-on-line and print, free local magazines--

• Local synagogues, JCC, senior citizen centers, retirement villages, historical societies

• Jewish organizations, newspapers, local cable station

• Posting at local libraries• Share with other genealogical societies (non-

Jewish)

Differences For Size JGSs

• What are the unique problems of larger JGSs?

• What are the unique problems of medium sized JGSs?

• What are the unique problems of smaller sized JGSs?